Every week, I hope that when I check the primetime schedule, I’ll find an exciting matchup. But so far, every week I’ve been highly disappointed. Since my Oakland Raiders have found themselves in first place in the AFC West, I’ve been able to live with it.

I will admit that it can be difficult to gauge how successful a team will be just by looking at their roster on paper. Those in charge of scheduling could make a big gamble, leading to a few not-so-entertaining games, but that’s not really what we’re witnessing.

PRIMETIME — The NFL has experienced a decline in viewership during the 2016-2017 season. PC: Jaguars.com

According to CBS sports, ratings are down 12 percent. Commissioner Roger Goodell has attributed the decline to competition with the presidential debates and the fact that Thursday night games are viewed on NFL Network and aren’t as accessible.

Others have argued the ongoing national anthem protests that some players are engaging in have created a disconnect. It could be fair to argue that there’s a bit of oversaturation with NFL games being played Sunday, Monday, Thursday and even Saturday as we go deeper into the season, but as a fan, I see it differently.

While I will admit that I tuned into every presidential debate, regardless of what teams were playing, I would also like to note that it’s 2016, and we have the ability to watch both at the same time. The future is here.

Switching games to NFL Network has nothing to do with the fact that those games have been terrible. Dolphins v. Bengals? Jaguars v. Titans?

This season, Twitter introduced the ability to stream games via the app, so the opportunity is there. The problem is that no one wants it.

The prime-time scheduling of games has been especially abysmal — that’s really the only
way to look at it.

For instance, this week’s Thursday Night Football matchup will be the Cleveland Browns taking on the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium Nov. 10.

Now, I’m all for a premiere division rivalry matchup, but Baltimore and Cleveland hardly count, as the Browns haven’t produced a competitive team in nearly 10 years. And I don’t know anyone who really likes to watch the Browns play, including the Browns fans I know. As the countdown crew would say, “c’mon man.”

There’s been a big push to expand America’s game internationally, with three NFL games being played in London and a game being played in Mexico City in week 11. But considering the fact that the primary audience of NFL fans are losing interest, I can’t help but think that the NFL has lost sight of its priorities.

Poor planning isn’t the only thing contributing to the lackluster season, but what else could possibly be the issue?

“Because the league isn’t fun anymore,” Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman said, while meeting before press. “Every other league, you see the players have a good time. It’s a game. This isn’t politics. This isn’t justice. This is entertainment, and they’re no longer allowing the players to entertain.”

He isn’t wrong. As a fan, I’ve witnessed the Ochocinco’s of the league be fined more for celebrating than others have been for actually violating conduct rules and/or laws. So, not only am I being forced to watch the Browns in primetime, I’m assured that nothing interesting will be allowed to take place.

]]>With approximately two months remaining until the 2016 NFL Draft, the rumor mills and draft experts have all speculated as to who NFL teams will be adding to their respective rosters. While there is still much uncertainty, as NFL coaches and general managers are still looking for who they want, one particular NFL franchise has provided a bit of clarity as to who they will be taking come late April.

A source close to the Cleveland Browns, announced newly hired Head Coach Hue Jackson will attempt to bolster their Super Bowl contention by drafting former Liberty University quarterback Josh Woodrum with the second overall pick.

During a press conference at the NFL Combine in late February, Jackson all but confirmed this report.

“We will come out of this draft with a quarterback,” Jackson said. “I guarantee you that.”

According to libertyflames.edu, Woodrum is in fact a quarterback. This recent discovery further fanned the flames of this report.

Woodrum was a fifth year senior who started during all four years of his eligibility for the Flames. During his tenure, he broke all sorts of conference and program records.

ESPN analyst and professional educated guesser Mel Kiper Jr. praised Woodrum for the NFL-ready tangibles the young quarterback already possesses.

“He’s got an NFL-caliber arm,” Kiper Jr. said to the Roanoke Times. “He certainly has the ability to see the field. He’s a … developmental, long-range prospect that you put on the shelf for three years.”

However, the Browns do not have the time to wait for three years, as they have been horrendous for a couple decades, per every single sports media outlet.

When Flames football Head Coach Turner Gill caught wind of the report of Woodrum’s selection, he displayed his usual jubilation and excitement.

Rashad Jenning’s story begins with an overweight kid and a reading deficit.

Giving back — Jennings announced his plans for his foundation at the Liberty-Coastal game. Photo credit: Leah Seavers

A kid, like many others, with dreams and aspirations of playing in the National Football League, Jennings found himself on the sideline during games more than he got to actually play in them.

“He was just an overweight, chubby kid with glasses, asthma, a 0.6 GPA and a reading attention deficit,” Christina Hoverstadt, director of programs for the Rashad Jennings Foundation, said.

One fateful day, Jennings decided to take ownership of his life and turn things around. With the help of his older brothers stepping in as mentors, Jennings put aside all excuses and worked hard until his dream became a reality.

Jennings, starting running back for the New York Giants and former Liberty Flame standout running back, has decided to use his platform as a professional athlete as a way to impact
communities and nations.

In order to accomplish the tall task of impacting the masses, the Rashad Jennings Foundation seeks “to inspire youth by making education fun, to provide mentorship for individual success, and to promote health and fitness worldwide,” per the foundation’s website.

The primary way in which the foundation helps make education fun is the Reading Challenge.

Scattered throughout four states (Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia), more than 20,000 children are currently enrolled in the program.

Once entered into the reading challenge, a student reads as many books as he or she can within the span of a month. Following the reading, each student takes a test to ensure that he or she comprehended the book.

Upon completion of the test, the student is put into a drawing for a wide array of prizes. Rewards come from NFL players and include Skype sessions with players, game worn cleats and gloves, tickets to games and locker room tours.

The foundation places a high emphasis on reading because two-thirds of students who are unable to read by the fourth grade will end up either in jail or on welfare, according to begintoread.com.

“If your teacher is telling you that you have a reading deficit, you’re automatically going to separate yourself,” Hoverstadt, who used to teach high school reading courses, said. “We’re trying to get every student, whether they’re great readers or lower readers, to improve.”

In addition, the foundation is rolling out a new mentorship program geared toward high school student athletes.

The turnaround in Jenning’s life occurred while he was in high school, so he is hoping that through mentorship other high school students will take ownership over themselves as well.

“Mentorship is going to be very hands on,” Hoverstadt said. “A piece of that is going to involve a lot of professional athletes that want to give back to communities.”

Teenage athletes involved in the program will have an opportunity to interact with a cast of professional athletes via online video calls and chat forums. Each high school athlete will receive a personal experience with each mentor Hoverstadt said.

The desired outcome of the program is to motivate each participant to dedicate him or herself to do what needs to be done in order to accomplish goals that they have set up for life.

As a result of being mentored by his brothers, Jennings decided to take control of his life and use it for good.

“You’ve probably heard of Rashad as a renaissance man,” Hoverstadt said. “Now all he does is read and wants to learn, so it’s kind of a testimony in itself that if you can overcome that challenge you can do great things.”

For more information on the Rashad Jennings Foundation, visit rashadjenningsfoundation.com or follow them on social media @therjfoundation.

]]>https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2015/12/a-place-in-this-world/feed/0Women in professional sportshttps://www.liberty.edu/champion/2015/10/women-in-professional-sports/
https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2015/10/women-in-professional-sports/#commentsTue, 20 Oct 2015 19:18:56 +0000https://www.liberty.edu/champion/?p=29633Jen Welter has started a revolution that is sweeping across …

]]>Jen Welter has started a revolution that is sweeping across men’s sports

With backsides glued to couches and tailgates taking place every weekend, there is no doubt that football season is back in full swing.

But heading into the 2015 NFL preseason, the Arizona Cardinals’ sideline looked different than it had ever before. The big and burly men of the Cardinals linebacking crew were joined by 37-year-old Jen Welter. And no, Welter was not a cheerleader.

According to the Washington Post, Welter, who holds a Ph.D. in psychology, was hired as a preseason intern. Through the internship, she was given the opportunity to help coach the linebackers of the Cardinals. In 2014 Welter coached the linebackers for the Texas Revolution, a men’s professional indoor team, in addition to playing running back for the team.

Though Welter’s internship with the Cardinals has ended, she said her time with the team was an overwhelmingly rewarding experience.

“(It was) better than I could have possibly imagined,” Welter said to CNN’s Rachel Nichols. “I love those guys. I love the team. From start to finish, it was exciting. They were respectful, they were receptive, and we all became really good friends with a lot of football and respect in between.”

As Welter made a resounding splash into the proverbial pool of men’s professional sports, it is necessary to reconsider our preconceived notion that women have no place in typically male sports. Maybe women have more to offer to professional sports than previously thought.

Welter is not the only woman making her way into the “men’s world” of professional sports.

In 2014, Becky Hammon became the first female full-time assistant in the NBA while working for the San Antonio Spurs. Hammon is no novice when it comes to the game of basketball. She was a six-time WNBA All-Star and a two-time All-WNBA First Tea selection. In addition, according to USA Today, Hammon became the first female head coach of an NBA Summer League team, where she guided the Spurs to the Utah Summer League title this past summer.

Hammon is well respected by her team and the league for her contributions to the Spurs organization.

“When (Hammon’s) talking, (the team is) looking at her,” Bobby Marks, a former Nets assistant general manager who attended the Las Vegas summer league, said in the Washington Post.

“They’re not looking into the stands or rolling their eyes. She commanded that huddle. Guys look up to her.”

After Hammon began to pave the way for women in the NBA coaching community, the Sacramento Kings hired Nancy Lieberman as an assistant.

Lieberman has also compiled the knowledge and skills to be an asset to a professional team. According to nba.com, she was previously the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks’ D-League team, which she led to the playoffs in its first season. She also was previously the head coach and general manager of the Detroit Shock in the WNBA.

Women who are physically and mentally qualified may also bring a different psychological aspect to the professional sports world.

Scientifically, it has been proven that women and men think and act differently. Women who may approach a problem or situation differently than men would bring a fresh perspective to the coaching world of professional sports.

According to psychologytoday.com, women can juggle more than one task 70 percent better than men. Multitasking is essential in coaching, as coaches need to keep track of many different things at one time, especially on game day.

Studies have also shown that women who are in conflict tend to respond to their frustration by working harder. Coaching a professional game against an opposing team is a conflict, and coaches who can channel their energy into working harder are necessary for success.

Psychologytoday.com also says women express their emotions differently. Women are more upfront and share their emotions while men tend to hide their emotions. Coaches who are in touch with their emotions can benefit the players. According to CNN, Welter left handwritten notes in the lockers of the linebackers before the preseason games.

“They loved it,” Welter said to CNN. “And I found that out because they shared it with the media. I didn’t share it. I wouldn’t have because that was personal; that was from me to them.

But they did.”

Women are also breaking into the professional refereeing world. In 2015, Sarah Thomas became the NFL’s first full-time female official. In an Oct. 12 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Diego Chargers, Thomas made a correct last-minute goal line touchdown call in which the Steelers defeated the Chargers.

But are a few females in typically male professional sports enough to call us an advanced and nonsexist society? Even if women in these roles make a few mistakes, are we willing to give them second chances like our society gives to men?

As an aspiring female sports journalist, it is reassuring to see women break the mold and work their way onto the sidelines of typically male professional sports.

Women need to be given their chance to show what they can offer until it is proven they have absolutely nothing to bring to the table. If a man was qualified for a professional coaching job, there’s no reason why he would not be given a chance to show what he’s got, so why not women too?

]]>https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2015/10/women-in-professional-sports/feed/0Rashad Jenningshttps://www.liberty.edu/champion/2015/10/rashad-jennings/
https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2015/10/rashad-jennings/#commentsTue, 20 Oct 2015 19:18:07 +0000https://www.liberty.edu/champion/?p=29666The other side of the NFL tailback The world knows …

The world knows him as Rashad Jennings — the starting running back for the New York Giants. But those who truly know him call him ’Shad — the inquisitive free thinker who one day hopes to be a marriage counselor and a philosopher.

Jennings has built a reputation on the Giants as a veteran who knows what it takes to not just make it to the NFL, but to last. According to the NFL Players Association, the average NFL career lasts just 3.3 years, and typically that number shrinks for a running back.

Jennings, in his seventh year in the NFL, makes big plays not just at the running back position, but also on special teams and as a receiver. He attributes his ability to contribute in so many ways to his entire lifestyle. Every little thing he does allows him to thrive — from his eating regimen, to his workouts, to the hyperbaric chamber he sleeps in.

Proof of Jennings’ influence as a veteran in the NFL came during standout wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.’s rookie year when Beckham bothered his hamstring. Beckham approached fellow first-year Giants teammate Jennings and said, “Will you teach me how to take care of my body?”

One of Jennings “Shadlosophies” on life is that “you don’t have to be deemed credible to speak inspiration.”

Jennings grew up in the Lynchburg, Virginia area and went to high school at Jefferson Forest before transferring to Liberty Christian Academy.

During his time at Jefferson Forest, he was tasked to write a research paper on his hero. Jennings chose Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but was unable to find a source that said what he truly thought of the important historical figure. In the end he quoted himself and sourced “Rashad Jennings’ mind.” His teacher gave him a failing grade and told him that he was not a credible source.

Fast forward to Jennings’ time with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jennings was asked to come to a classroom and speak to students who were writing papers on professional athletes. The students used Jennings as a source, and were given an “A.” Jennings took a copy of the paper back to his high school where he at one point had a .6 GPA so many years earlier.

Jennings believes “the world has the opportunity to inspire in many different capacities.”

Years before Jennings made such an impact on the Giants, he was a young transfer at Liberty University. When Jennings came to Liberty from the University of Pittsburgh, the Flames were coming off a 1-10 season in which their only win came against a Division II school. In Jennings’ first semester as a Flame, he was selected as team captain according to libertyflames.com.

“I knew Rashad was going to be special from the first time I met with him prior to his transferring to Liberty,” former Flames Head Coach Danny Rocco said. “He was motivated to achieve in all areas of his life. He became an outstanding leader for us and continues to represent at the highest level.”

In Jennings’ junior and senior years, the Flames went undefeated in Big South play earning the Flames their only outright Big South conference championships in program history.

“We had a group of guys come together and we would never let anybody outwork us,” Jennings said. “That is what we were known for. If you were playing Liberty, you were gonna be in a dog fight.”

To be a part of the group that put Liberty football on the map is something that Jennings will “never forget.”

“It definitely was without a doubt the turnaround point of Liberty football,” Jennings said. “It has been fun to watch Liberty build on that and take pride in it.”

Jennings finished his career at Liberty with records for most consecutive 100-yard games (10), most career 100-yard games (22), most rushing yards in a season (1500), most rushing touchdowns in a season (17), most career rushing touchdowns (42), most points in a season(114) and multiple other records, according to libertyflames.com.

“I look forward to the day they retire my jersey and put my name up there in the stadium,” Jennings said.

Former NFL running back and Liberty alumnus Samkon Gado (class of 2005) spoke at the annual senior Convocation Friday, April 17 at Williams Stadium’s Club Level.

The class of 2015 enjoyed coffee and doughnuts while Gado, who finished medical school the day before his Convocation speech, shared his story, as well as what he learned about success while in the NFL and medical school.

“It’s a privilege to be here and have an audience with the upcoming class of 2015,” Gado said. “Congratulations, you guys. This is no small feat.”

After graduating from Liberty, Gado played five seasons in the NFL and then moved with his wife to study medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina. He plans to finish his residency in ear, nose and throat surgery at St. Louis University.

Gado was born and raised in Nigeria in 1982 before moving to the United States in 1991 with his family so his father could study at Columbia International University.

The family of six had not lived together in the same city before moving to the U.S. Gado said his parents led successful careers in Nigeria, but “tabled (their) ambitions because it was more important to follow Christ.”

While in the U.S., Gado began to develop a love for football and biology.

Gado said he enjoyed his time in the NFL and was thankful for medical school, but he saw that virtues were not considered the standard for success in those arenas. The world defines success different ways in different places.

“It’s important to define success now,” Gado said.

The NFL keeps literal measurements of success with statistics. The medical community considers intelligence and published papers as success. Gado said those definitions of success will lead to misguided ambitions.

“If you pursue success without Christ, you’ll feel empty,” Gado said. “If you are obedient to him, he can give a richness the world cannot give. This richness surpasses material gain.”

Gado left the students with a challenge to follow the narrow path and pursue success as God defines it.

Ben Watson, a tight end for the New Orleans Saints who just finished his 11th season in the NFL, tackled the issues of racism and identity in his appearance at the second Convocation of the semester Friday, Jan. 16.

TAKING A STAND — Ben Watson speaks out against racism while sharing his story during Convocation. Photo credit: Courtney Russo

In the question-and-answer-style session, Watson explained that in the NFL, players are constantly judged based on their performances, and it is easy for players to find their meaning in the game of football.

According to Watson, a torn anterior cruciate ligament that relegated him to the sidelines during Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 helped him realize that he was placing his worth in football and finding his identity in his job rather than in Christ. The struggle helped him understand that as a Christian, a job is merely “what you do.”

“When you’re a believer, that is who you are and your essence,” Watson said. “What you do with your life is simply what you do. You are a Christian. You are a believer.

You are a child of God. You are all those things. What you do is become a doctor. What you do is become a lawyer. What you do is teach, be a pastor. What I do is play football. … What I do doesn’t change who I am and who God sees me as. … We are God’s children. We are Christians first, and then what we do flows from that.”

Watson encouraged the audience to find an identity in Christ rather than in any temporary satisfaction.

“Make sure you know your identity is in Christ, so that when you get laid off from your job, or when you get a raise from your job, or when things don’t go right, you’re not up and down, up and down,” Watson said. “… If (your identity is) not grounded (in Christ), you’re going to be all over the place. You’re gonna be like a leaf blown by the wind.”

Watson also spoke about his Nov. 25 Facebook post, which has garnered attention from around the nation. The viral post came in the wake of the grand jury decision about the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

Once Watson heard the news of the decision in late November as he walked out of the locker room after a Monday Night Football game, he cautiously began to record his thoughts on the incident.

“I kind of hesitated to even write it from the beginning,” Watson said in an interview. “I didn’t quite know what to say. I had so much on my mind. But then, once I started putting it on paper, I really felt like this is something that I want to say. I don’t know how it will be received. I don’t know if it’s for anybody else, but I need to flesh these thoughts out.”

According to Watson, it took him approximately one day of writing on and off to craft the post, which puts into words his emotions and the reasons for his reactions. The letter begins with the emotions of anger and frustration and shows a journey to hopefulness and encouragement Watson has found in the gospel message.

Though the parts of the post pertaining to sin and salvation have impacted many people, Watson said his decision to include the material was not so simple.

“There was a little hesitation, especially when it got to the gospel,” Watson said. “I’m not happy to say that, but there was a little hesitation. (I thought), ‘How are people gonna receive the gospel?’ (Then) I said, ‘Hold up, hold up. Why am I worried about this? This is the truth.’ … So I just sent it out, and it’s been amazing what God has done through it.”

The post has been shared nearly 475,000 times, and more than 860,000 people have liked it. Additionally, according to Watson, Facebook personnel had informed him at one point that his post received more than 40 million impressions.

“Everybody could kind of find some emotion in there that resonated with them,” Watson said. “I think that’s why it was so appealing to so many people.”

In all of the attention the post garnered, Watson said he has been most encouraged by the responses of those in the NFL.

“The biggest (encouragement) just came from my teammates saying — whether they’re white, black, young or old, (and) coaches (were) the same way — ‘You know, that’s how I felt. I just didn’t quite know how to say it,’” Watson said.

According to Watson, he chose to write the post after he realized the deep roots of the issue of racism.

“The thing about race is, in this country, it runs very deep,” Watson said in Convocation. “It’s something that’s kind of like our black eye that we try to cover up with the eye patch instead of really dealing with it.”

Instead of facing racism with societal and traditional means, however, Watson explained that people in the U.S. must address the root of the problem.

“Racism is simply a symptom,” Watson said. “It is a symptom of a disease, and the disease is sin, and it is a disease that we are all affected with from birth. … Until we deal with that issue (of sin), we’re just putting Band-Aids on bullet wounds.”

And according to Watson, the only cure for the disease is found in the center of the gospel.

“(I)’m encouraged because God has provided a solution for sin through his son Jesus, and with it, a transformed heart and mind,” Watson wrote in the Facebook post for which he has become famous. “One that’s capable of looking past the outward and seeing what’s truly important in every human being.”

For the first time in the family’s history, Jim Kelly, his wife, Jill Kelly, and their daughter, Erin Kelly, took the stage together to speak to students during Convocation Friday, Oct. 25. The three spoke about God’s goodness in the midst of trials, marking their first public appearance since Jim Kelly, a Hall of Fame quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, was declared cancer free nearly two months ago.

Before the three spoke, though, Bruce Smith, fellow Hall of Famer, former teammate and friend of Jim Kelly, introduced the man he called “a living testament of what God can do.”

“I have such a great deal of respect — a profound respect — for my brother Jim Kelly,” Smith said. “… He is an incredible source of strength (and) encouragement. … And even through these trials and tribulations, his faith has not wavered, and that’s what’s the most impressive thing to me.”

Smith and Jim Kelly then autographed four Hall of Fame footballs, and Jim Kelly threw them to members of the crowd, showing off some of the skills that led him to four consecutive Super Bowls.

During the question-and-answer format Convocation, the three spoke about the many trials they have faced as a family, highlighting the eight years spent with their son and brother Hunter Kelly, who was diagnosed with Krabbe Disease at only 4 months old.

“Words can’t articlate the emotions you go through as a parent when they say your child is not going to live to see his second birthday,” Jill Kelly said. “… (In that moment), all that I know is the worldly foundation that I’ve stood on my entire life, and that comes crumbling down in an instant.”

Though Hunter Kelly’s disease was incurable, Jill Kelly acknowledged that the diagnosis pushed her to rely fully on God.

“(I)f there was a worldly answer or a cure or a treatment or something like that in that moment, that’s what I would’ve continued to put my hope in,” she said. “… It took the suffering of our one and only son to bring us to the only suffering that matters, and that’s the suffering of God’s one and only son.”

According to Jim Kelly, his wife, whom he described as a “strong woman of faith” and praised for her strength in the midst of all the family’s hardships, helped him to find Christ following her own life-changing decision.

Now, Jim Kelly said his faith is what has given him strength to beat the cancer that once lived in his upper jaw.

“Even though I’ve been stricken with cancer and I’m still in the fight of my life, I know God has plans for me, and I believe that,” Jim Kelly said.

According to Erin Kelly, a junior at Liberty who is in the process of writing a book about her family’s experiences, she began to understand the importance of her father’s faith when she heard him tell NBC reporters he was not afraid to die as he was undergoing treatments. Erin Kelly explained that in the midst of all his pain, her dad showed what it truly means to be “Kelly tough.”

“I’ve never seen him be so weak, but I’ve never seen him be so strong, because he has depended fully and completely on the strength of Christ,” Erin Kelly said. “… That’s where ‘Kelly tough’ came from — our strength that we find in Christ.”

Erin Kelly explained that the struggles her father has endured and the sacrifices her family has made have not discouraged them, but rather have given them an opportunity to rejoice in God’s goodness.

“(My dad’s battle with cancer) allowed (our family) to look to God’s strength and say, ‘Lord, you are good even in the midst of this. You are good, and you are taking care of every detail, and we have nothing to fear because we know that in death, we have life. We have life abundantly.’”

Jim Kelly also explained that, in addition to all he and his family have learned over the last months, he is grateful for the opportunity to make an impact on others’ lives.

“If I can make a difference for kids out there, if I can make a difference for adults out there by what I am going through, thank the good Lord,” Jim Kelly said. “… For all those people out there … that are having a tough time, … don’t stop, just fight. Fight until the end. … I live every day like it’s my last, but I enjoy every day. So enjoy every day that you can, and be blessed with
what you have.”

]]> America loves the NFL. So it makes sense for the NFL to have a game on Thursdays. The more football, the better, right?

Wrong.

On paper, Thursday Night Football is great. For the consumer, it gives more football to watch during a part of the week that normally is void of it. For CBS and the NFL, it makes extra money. Win-win. Except nobody bothered to ask the players.

In other sports, players can play every other day and perform at near 100 percent. Football is a different story. Other sports require padding primarily to protect athletes from the ball, puck, etc. that is being used for the game. Football players wear padding to protect themselves from each other. And still, that hardly works.

The horror stories from former NFL players playing through injuries with a full week of rest would make the toughest meat head cringe.

Jason Taylor, former Pro Bowl defensive end for the Miami Dolphins, gave an account of his multiple injuries and gruesome “treatments” to the Miami Herald’s Dan Le Batard. Taylor detailed one particular case of being treated for torn tissues in both feet before a game. Trainers gave him a towel to put in his mouth so he would not scream or bite his tongue while they gave him shots in the bottom of his feet.

“You can’t kill the foot because then it is just a dead nub,” Taylor said. “You’ve got to get the perfect mix (of anesthesia). I was crying and screaming. I’m sweating just speaking about it now.”

Taylor told the Herald that he could not put his kids to bed for almost two years because he could not bend over far enough to tuck them in without his usual concoction of painkilling remedies that was given to him for football games. Somehow, Taylor is still in one piece.

And that was without playing on a short week — a short week with three days less of recovery time than normal.

Injury concerns are hardly the only problem with Thursday night games. Mark Cuban, billionaire entrepreneur and owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, hypothesized that the NFL could be over saturating an already NFL-dominated sports market with weekly Thursday night games.

“Just watch,” Cuban said to a group of reporters back in March. “Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. When you try to take it too far, people turn the other way. I’m just telling you, when you’ve got a good thing and you get greedy, it always, always, always, always, always turns on you. That’s rule number one of business.”

Too much of anything is a bad thing. Consumers might be eating the NFL up right now, but if they continue to be force fed, their tastes might change.

For the good of everyone, NFL — the players, the fans and the league — do not let the pig get too fat.